Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Round 2 has begun in Colombia. Round 1 saw Argentina's "Churrasco" win. Round 2 introduces us to 2 more new flavors; Spain's "Jamon Serrano" aka "Serrano Ham" and Brazil's "Asado Brasilero" aka "Brazilian Steak/Barbecue". The bag of "Serrano Ham" also comes as "Onduladas" or "Ruffles"-style chips. My favorite bag of all time is a bag of Ruffles from Spain that are Ham flavored.... so these are probably the most epic thing of all time ever!!! And "Brazilian BBQ" doesn't sound too bad either. I guess I've got some calls to make ;p

Monday, April 21, 2014

3 more flavors have been highlighted online recently. To read the first part of this article click here!
Unlike the Flavor Cup happening in South America, the Middle East has chosen to have all 5 flavors compete at once with the bag getting the most votes becoming the unchallenged winner.
I already told you guys about Mexican "Chilli con Carne" as well as South African "Cheese"... but here are the final 3 competitors.

Spain is getting their "Black Olives" shown off with this bag. I don't know what a bag of "Black Olive" flavored Chips will taste like... hopefully similar to "Pickle" flavored. By that I mean, sour and pleasant with Salt.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

The Copa is SPREADING!! "Copa De Sabores" aka the "Flavor Cup" has spread like wildfire throughout South America. The contest is now being held in Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador, and Honduras. Not to mention the South American nations we already know about; Chile, Colombia, and Peru. ANNNND the Middle Eastern nations all doing their version. Looks like it is going to be a BUSY season for us Chip Hunters!

So, first, lets talk about Guatemala...

EXACTLY like Colombia and Peru, we are seeing ITALY vs ARGENTINA as the 2 flavors to be voted upon. But here we have some sauces up for debate. Italy's offering being a "Pomodoro Sauce" and Argentina's being a "Chimichurri" sauce.

More importantly, the Guatemalan website FINALLY explains the rules of the Flavor cup, which has been driving me mad. Basically, you vote for your flavor in each round starting with the first round (Italy vs. Argentina), you have to register for this vote. If you can pick the winner every round you have the opportunity to win prizes. So this is just round 1 of 3 (3 being the final round). If you pick the winner all the way to the end, you can win the Grand Prize.

Check it out, so the winner of Phase 1 will go against the winner of Phase 2 in Phase 3, and that is the winner of the Flavor Cup.

(you guys have no idea how excited I was that they had this chart to explain this damn confusing ass contest to me... seriously)

In the Dominican Republic, we finally get a fresh face from Brazil...

Italy's flavor is represented by "Italian Dressing", which sounds AMAZING on chips! And Brasil is showing off "Salsa Brasileña", this has me a bit confused... the picture is obviously stewed beef with maybe some Garlic... but "Salsa Brasileña" is defined online as a salad dressing. The literal translation is "Brazilian Sauce" which doesn't help me figure out what it is whatsoever. So, I guess, if you try it, let us know what it is lol.

Panama, El Salvador, and Honduras all have the SAME EXACT flavors as Guatemala, (Italian Salsa Pomodoro & Argentinean Chimichurri) so I'm not gonna talk about them again for this round.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Just like America, Canada has relaunched the "Do Us a Flavour" contest! And just like us they are adding "Kettle Cooked" and "Wavy" to the mix! Create the winning flavor and you could win $50,000 CAD and 1% of future sales of your bag! Deadline to enter is 4/23/14, so get those entries in ASAP!

Friday, April 18, 2014

MORE! More glorious contest flavors are popping up! Pepsi Chile announced some flavors that will be available now for their own "Copa De Los Sabores"... and wonderfully, they are different from the other South American contest flavors. Check em out below...

From Brasil, "Feijoada", a stew dish of Beans, Beef, and Pork.

From the home nation of Chile, "Ensalada Chilena" or "Chilean Salad", a Tomato-based salad dressed up with onion, coriander, olive oil, and chili peppers (similar to Italian Caprese but no cheese).

These rich and exciting flavors should do well in Chile, especially on the wavy style chips that are standard there... as the ridges will hold more seasoning and add more robust potato flavor. The other thing I am LOVING is the packaging. How fantastic do these bags look with the big Country name and the delicious food photos? Not to mention, the use of the Nation's colors. Looks much more modern and hip when compared to the bags from the other South American nations who are having their own Flavor Cup Contests.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

omg. Guys, sorry for the delay on this one, I totally thought I had put it up AGES ago. Here is one of the finalists from Canada's "Do Us a Flavour" contest... it obviously didnt win, as the winner was "Maple Moose" but after trying all of them, I have to think this was, in a practical sense, the best one. "Perogy Platter" is based on a decked out plate of Perogys or Pierogi. Perogy are little Eastern European dumplings that are stuffed with potato and boiled... then usually pan fried. They are similar to an Asian Gyoza/ Pot-sticker or an Italian Mezzaluna or even a Ravioli; just with different fillings and sauces. In Canada, it is common to eat Perogy with toppings like Cheddar, Bacon, Onions, & Sour Cream... which appear to all be included in this style Perogy Platter.
I was indifferent to this bag when I saw it, and I kind of left it sitting around until my mom opened it before I got to it. Once I tasted it, I knew the flavor exactly. I had spent many an after-school in High School snacking on this exact flavor. This, my friends, was "T.G.I.Friday's Cheddar & Bacon Potato Skins". Granted, these were on chips not fake potato skins, but the flavor is spot on identical. In fact, I prefer the Lay's, as the texture is WAY more pleasant.
Looking back now, it is strange to think that this bag looked so boring, but I guess it was sitting next to a Salad bag and a bag with a Moose on it, so can you blame me?
To me, this bag is quintessential, it should be on every shelf in every country. You can't go wrong with Cheddar and Bacon!

As for the stats; Lay's Canada makes a decent chip, better than the U.S. for SURE. You never see any burnt or nasty looking pieces, it's always pleasant. They aren't spectacular though, they could always use a bit more Potato flavor in the actual potato. The seasoning, however, is not only delicious, but it gets great coverage. Not overdone.

I know this should have been up ages ago, but if you can find a bag of these in a small shop or on ebay or Amazon, I give it 2 thumbs up. And if you can't find it, then close your eyes and forget I mentioned it... because Canada is currently taking submissions for "Do Us A Flavour" 2014... so you will have new wonderful flavors to taste! (I'll be writing that up within the next few days to give you all the details.)

SO... Did anyone try this? Anyone else thinking it is a photocopy of TGIFs? Have you submitted a flavor for 2014? If so, what was it? Comment below!!

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The Chip Report is an attempt to taste every Frito-Lay chip around the world. We're here to talk about international flavors and marketing, compare them to the status-quo here at home, and track down hard to find bags like a scavenger hunt. You can join in too, let us know about bags of chips you've come across in your travels!

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Looking for info about a particular flavor? Use the search bar to find what you seek. Want to browse similar flavors? Each entry is tagged by Style of Chip, Country of Origin, Flavors/Ingredients, and Type of Entry (i.e. Review or News etc.)... if you want to see more, just click on the tag that peaks your curiosity. Stories about new flavors being released are usually labeled "Gotta Get At This". Stories about new contests being held around the world are labeled "Contest". Reviews are labeled simply by bag name.Enjoy!